Brandon Long Named To Tennis All-Conference Team

(Posted April 19, 2007)

Senior Brandon Long earned a spot on the Commonwealth All-Conference Team for the second time in his career.

HUNTINGDON, Pa. - After helping the Juniata College men\'s tennis team earn consecutive berths in the Commonwealth Conference postseason for the first time senior Brandon Long (Lebanon/Lebanon) has been rewarded with a spot on the Commonwealth Conference All-Conference team as voted by the conference's seven head coaches. The All-Commonwealth Team consists of six players separated into a first and second team. Long was one of six players to earn second-team All-Conference recognition.
Long earned a spot on the All-Conference Team for the second-consecutive season, as he was also a second-team pick in his junior year. The only senior on a young Juniata team he, led the team with six singles victories as he recorded a record of 6-1 through Juniata\'s first eight matches. Long was 5-1 in Commonwealth singles play on the year, playing all six matches at the fourth spot in the singles ladder. All of his six singles triumphs came in straight sets and in all but one of his wins he did not lose more than four games. He posted a 6-2, 7-6 win against conference foe Lebanon Valley which marked the only time he was forced into a tie-breaker in singles play.
The senior was also a big factor in doubles competition as he teamed with freshman Jarrad Silver (Walt Whitman/Bethesda, Md.) to play at first doubles. The pair went 4-3 on the season and earned victories in three Commonwealth matches. Long picked up doubles victories against Lebanon Valley, Elizabethtown and Susquehanna, including a key 9-8 win against Susquehanna in a match that clinched Juniata\'s spot in the postseason.
Despite winning just a pair of singles matches in his first two collegiate seasons the senior has a career singles record of 22-22 and a 21-20 mark in doubles play, giving him an overall record of 43-42 during his career. His singles record in his final two years, the two years in which Juniata has qualified for the conference postseason, is an impressive 20-5. Long is also 14-8 in doubles play during those two years.
With Long playing a significant role Juniata has a record of 5-3 on the year including a 4-2 mark in Commonwealth Conference play. The Eagles have earned the number-three seed for the Commonwealth Conference postseason, and will face second-seed Elizabethtown College on Saturday for the right to play for the conference championship.
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